Arabians win another district crown

The Varsity Arabians have had a great season that has turned into a playoff run. Their first game was last night against Cuero in Floresville. So far this season, the Arabians were 21-16 before playoffs and 7-1 in district. They won district with Hondo in second, Crystal City in third, and Carrizo Springs in fourth.
The success of the volleyball program is largely due to Head Coach Leigh Anne McIver. McIver is a graduate of Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio where she lettered in basketball, volleyball, softball, and track. McIver then attended Schreiner University on a basketball scholarship. After playing four years of basketball for Schreiner, she played a year of volleyball for them.
McIver started her coaching career at Columbus HS as head basketball and freshman volleyball coach for two years. It was in Richmond, TX that McIver found her first volleyball head-coaching job at George Bush HS. Head coach for five years she took the program from 3 wins a year to over 18 wins in an extremely tough 10 team district. Along with five years of coaching club volleyball, McIver was ready for a head volleyball coaching position.
Coach McIver was contacted about the open position from Misty Mross (a fellow Schreiner alumni) and after six years, the Devine volleyball program has continued to be a powerhouse. In her time here the program has made the regional tournament three times and the regional quarterfinals twice! McIver has 213 wins and the chance for a few more during playoffs this year.
Coach McIver had this to say about the season so far. “Our season got off to a rocky start. Losing seven players last year really left some big gaps and you could tell in the beginning. The chemistry and trust on the court were not there among the girls. It took a while for it to get there and I still think there is room to improve. A lot of people didn’t think we were going to be as successful as we have been in the past, but I knew these girls had the skills and talent to be successful. It was just going to take us a while to get there. They came together at the right time and fought hard to get the district championship. I think we are peaking at the right time of the year.”
In their last district game of the season against Pearsall, the Arabians won in three sets 25-14, 25-13, and 25-18. It was a high intensity game with great defense and even better offense. Megan Runyan had 10 kills, Alissa Stehle 5, Sierra Pompa, Dana Aaron, Madison Pike and Jasmine Pompa each had 3 and Macey Hein and Clarissa Zamora each had 2. Sara Moreno served 5 aces, Gabby Rodriguez 2, and S. Pompa, Aaron, and Stehle each with 1. Pike had 2 blocks, while S. Pompa, Aaron, and Stehle each had 1. The team had a total of 84 digs with Rodriguez getting 32 of them herself. Stehle added another 18, Moreno 12, Kaylee Howard 7, S. Pompa 5, Hein 4, Aaron and Runyan 2 each, and Zamora and J. Pompa 1 each. Hein had 23 assists.
“This was a great way to end district play. Clinching the district championship and playing much better than we did last time we played Pearsall. I thought we attacked the ball pretty well tonight. I am pretty proud of these girls!” said Coach McIver.
By Dicy Chambers
Sports Writer